AMMAN, Aug. 18 (Xinhua) — Jordan’s King Abdullah II on Monday called for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza and unimpeded delivery of humanitarian aid during a meeting with a visiting U.S. congressional delegation, the Royal Hashemite Court said in a statement.
During the meeting, the king reiterated Jordan’s rejection of Israeli plans to consolidate its “occupation” of Gaza and expand military control there, warning that such “unilateral measures” pose risks to regional stability.
He also dismissed Israeli statements on the so-called “Greater Israel” vision and condemned settlement expansion in the West Bank, which he said violates international law and undermines Palestinians’ right to establish an independent state.
The talks also touched on regional developments, with the king stressing the need to support Syria’s security, stability, sovereignty, and territorial integrity. ■
Why Israel is systematically erasing Gaza’s intellectuals
A protester holds a sign in memory of Al Jazeera correspondent Anas Al-Sharif, New York City, US, Aug. 15, 2025. (Reuters)
The killing of seven Palestinian journalists and media workers in Gaza last week has prompted verbal condemnations, yet has inspired little to no substantive action. This has become the predictable and horrifying trajectory of the international community’s response to the ongoing Israeli genocide.
By eliminating Palestinian journalists like Anas Al-Sharif and Mohammed Qraiqeh, Israel has made a sinister statement that the genocide will spare no one. According to the monitoring website Shireen.ps, Israel has killed nearly 270 journalists since October 2023.
More Palestinian journalists are likely to die covering the genocide of their own people in Gaza, especially since Israel has manufactured a convenient and easily deployed narrative that every Gazan journalist is simply a “terrorist.” This is the same cruel logic offered by numerous Israeli officials in the past, including President Isaac Herzog, who declared that “an entire nation” in Gaza “is responsible” for not having rebelled against Hamas, effectively stating that there are no innocent people in the Strip.
This Israeli discourse, which dehumanizes an entire population based on a vicious logic, is frequently repeated by officials who fear no accountability. Even Israeli diplomats, whose job in theory is to improve their country’s image internationally, frequently engage in this brutal ritual. In comments made in January 2024, Israeli Ambassador to the UK Tzipi Hotovely callously argued that “every school, every mosque, every second house has access to tunnels,” implying that all of Gaza is a valid military target.
This cruel language would be easily dismissed as mere rhetoric except that Israel has, in fact, according to Euro-Med Human Rights Monitor reports, destroyed more than 70 percent of Gaza’s infrastructure.
While extremist language is often used by politicians around the world, it is rare for the extremism of the language to so precisely mirror the extremism of the action itself. This makes Israeli political discourse a uniquely dangerous phenomenon.
There can be no military justification for the wholesale annihilation of an entire region. But again, Israeli politicians are not shying away from providing the discourse that explains this unprecedented destruction. Former Knesset member Moshe Feiglin chillingly said in May that “every child, every baby in Gaza is an enemy … not a single Gazan child will be left there.”
However, for the systematic destruction of a whole nation to succeed, it must include the deliberate targeting of its scientists, doctors, intellectuals, journalists, artists and poets. While children and women may be worst affected by Israel’s indiscriminate bombing raids, many of its targeted assassinations appear to be specifically aimed at disorienting Palestinian society, depriving it of societal leadership and rendering the process of rebuilding Gaza impossible.
The following figures powerfully illustrate this point. According to a report released by the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, based on a satellite damage assessment conducted in July, 97 percent of Gaza’s educational facilities have been affected, with 91 percent in need of major repairs or full reconstruction. Additionally, hundreds of teachers and thousands of students have been killed.
But why is Israel so intent on killing those responsible for intellectual production? The answer is twofold: one is unique to Gaza and the other is unique to the nature of Israel’s founding ideology, Zionism.
First, regarding Gaza. Since the Nakba in 1948, Palestinian society in Gaza has invested heavily in education, seeing it as a crucial tool for liberation and self-determination. Early footage shows lessons being given in tents and open spaces, a testament to this community’s tenacious pursuit of knowledge. This focus on education transformed the Strip into a regional hub for intellectual and cultural production, despite poorly funded UNRWA schools. Israel’s campaign of destruction is a deliberate attempt to erase this generational achievement, a practice known as “scholasticide,” and Gaza is the most deliberate example of this horrific act.
Second, regarding Zionism. For many years, we were led to believe that Zionism was winning the intellectual war due to the cleverness and refinement of Israeli propaganda, or hasbara. The prevailing narrative, particularly in the Arab world, was that Palestinians and Arabs were simply no match for the savvy Israeli and pro-Israel public relations machine in the West. This created a sense of intellectual inferiority, masking the true reason for the imbalance.
The Gazan intellectual community managed, in two years, to reverse most of Zionism’s gains over the past century.
Dr. Ramzy Baroud
Israel was able to “win” in the mainstream media discourse due to the intentional marginalization and demonization of Palestinian and pro-Palestine voices. The latter had no chance of fighting back simply because they were not allowed to and were instead labeled “terrorist sympathizers” and such like. Even the late world-renowned Palestinian scholar Edward Said was called a “Nazi” by the extremist, now-banned Jewish Defense League, which went so far as to set the beloved professor’s university office on fire.
Gaza, however, represented a major problem. With foreign media forbidden from operating in the Strip as per Israeli orders, the Gazan intellectual community rose to the occasion and, in the course of two years, managed to reverse most of Zionism’s gains over the past century. This forced Israel into a desperate race against time to remove as many Palestinian journalists, intellectuals, academics and even social media influencers from the scene as quickly as possible — thus, the war on the Palestinian thinker.
This Israeli scheme is, however, destined to fail, as ideas are not tied to specific individuals and resilience and resistance are a culture, not a job title. Gaza shall once more emerge, not only as the culturally thriving place it has always been, but as the cornerstone of a new liberation discourse that is set to inspire the globe regarding the power of intellect to stand firm, fight for what is right and live with purpose for a higher cause.
Dr. Ramzy Baroud is a journalist, author and the editor of The Palestine Chronicle. His latest book, “Before the Flood,” will be published by Seven Stories Press. His website is www.ramzybaroud.net. X: @RamzyBaroud
Disclaimer: Views expressed by writers in this section are their own and do not necessarily reflect Arab News’ point of view
AMMAN: Abdulhadi Al-Sayed will never forget the vivid details of what happened to him on March 30, the first day of Eid Al-Fitr, just two weeks after Israel resumed its bombing campaign across the Gaza Strip following the latest ceasefire collapse.
He had joined some friends at a cafe in Gaza City to play video games — a semblance of normality amid the grinding conflict. On his way home, the 14-year-old recalled passing a group of children playing in the street when a car pulled up.
Moments later, the first missile struck.
Seven children and everyone in the vehicle were killed instantly, while shrapnel from the blast tore through Abdulhadi’s right arm and thigh. While he lay bleeding heavily on the ground, a second shell exploded, this one shattering his jaw.
Although he survived the attack, he will carry his wounds with him for the rest of his life.
“I remember that day vividly,” Abdulhadi told Arab News from his ward at Mouwasat Hospital, a facility run by Medecins Sans Frontieres in Amman, Jordan, specializing in reconstructive surgery and comprehensive rehabilitation for the war-wounded.
“For months in Gaza, I couldn’t sleep. Every time I woke up, I lived the nightmare still unfolding around me.”
The crisis is compounded by a surge in hunger-related deaths now exceeding 240 — half of them children — according to Gaza authorities. (Reuters)
For two days after the attack, Abdulhadi said he lay on the floor of a hospital in Gaza among dozens of patients, with no bandages, painkillers, or even enough specialist staff to offer more than basic first aid.
Given the damage to his jaw, Abdulhadi said he could only be fed liquids through a syringe. But amid Gaza’s severe food shortages under an Israeli aid blockade, his meals were typically tomato paste mixed with water.
Back in the makeshift camp where he had lived since being displaced from his home in the Shejaiya district of Gaza City, he said a nurse would occasionally come to check on him as he lay recuperating in unsanitary conditions.
It was three months before Abdulhadi was evacuated to Amman as part of the Jordanian medical corridor, an ongoing humanitarian mission launched by King Abdullah II in February to treat 2,000 critically ill and wounded Palestinian children in Jordanian hospitals.
He is one of 437 Palestinians, including 134 children, evacuated from Gaza to Jordan since the initiative began in March in coordination with the World Health Organization. The most recent group, 15 children and 47 companions, arrived on Aug. 6.
Since arriving in Amman on July 1, Abdulhadi has been receiving medical, rehabilitative, and psychological care.
Palestinians rush a wounded child in Al-Bureij camp in the central Gaza Strip after the area was targeted by an Israeli strike, on June 17, 2025, amid the ongoing conflict between Israel and the Palestinian Hamas militant group. (AFP/File)
After complex maxillofacial surgery to reconstruct his jaw with platinum implants, followed by plastic surgery to repair facial trauma, he can now eat, speak, and even smile again.
He will soon undergo further surgery to remove shrapnel from his hand, followed by reconstructive surgery on his right leg and a course of physiotherapy.
Although he now sleeps through the night on a clean bed, eats regularly, plays chess, and practices a little English daily, he carries the affliction of many war-wounded — survivor’s guilt.
Accompanied by his father and grandmother, Abdulhadi longs to be reunited with his mother, who chose to remain in Gaza, refusing to leave her three older boys, despite persistent hunger and her own untreated injuries.
“I like being here, but not without my family,” said Abdulhadi, who maintains daily contact with his family. They have since found shelter close to Al-Shifa Hospital in northern Gaza.
Abdulhadi’s father, Sobhi Al-Sayed, told Arab News he is likewise torn between gratitude for safety and guilt for leaving his other children.
“I feel helpless when my sons tell me they are hungry,” he said. “The other day, I could not recognize my wife on a video call because of how much weight she had lost.”
Shrapnel from the blast tore through Abdulhadi Al-Sayed’s right arm and thigh. (AN photo/Sherouk Zakaria)
Sobhi says his eldest son, 24-year-old Shaker, has also been injured by Israeli fire while trying to get flour for his siblings from an aid distribution center. “Injured, killed, or starved,” he said. “Those are the only three options in Gaza.”
The WHO, which coordinates medical evacuations with Gaza’s Health Ministry and host countries, warned of “catastrophic” conditions in the enclave, where fewer than half of hospitals are partially functioning, short of life-saving medicines, and overwhelmed with patients.
Nearly two years of war have devastated Gaza’s critical sanitation, water, and electricity infrastructure, leaving most of the 1.9 million internally displaced people crowded in tents and exposed to mounting garbage, poor hygiene, and unclean water.
The crisis is compounded by a surge in hunger-related deaths now exceeding 240 — half of them children — according to Gaza authorities, as aid agencies warn of a worsening humanitarian catastrophe.
Since the war began in October 2023 until July 31 this year, the WHO has evacuated more than 7,500 Palestinians, including 5,200 children, for treatment in Egypt, Jordan, the UAE, Qatar, Turkiye, and European countries.
However, WHO officials say more than 14,800 remain in urgent need, calling for faster medical evacuations through all possible routes, including restoring referrals to the West Bank and East Jerusalem.
Ghada Al-Hams, a mother of six, said she could not leave her children Amr, 11, and Malak, 10, when she was contacted to accompany her 16-year-old son, Ammar, for treatment in Jordan. (AN photo/Sherouk Zakaria)
The small number evacuated compared to the scale of need reflects the long, complex process. Cases are first referred by doctors, then approved by Gaza’s Health Ministry, which prioritizes and transfers them to the WHO for coordination with host countries and Israel.
Bureaucratic hurdles, host country requirements, and occasional Israeli rejections continue to block access to lifesaving care.
Once children complete their treatment in Jordan, they and their caregivers are returned to Gaza, making room for new patients to be evacuated for medical care.
Cyril Cappai, MSF’s head of mission in Amman, told Arab News that while evacuations to Jordan were difficult at first, they have become more organized due to the presence of on the ground MSF teams and the Jordanian field hospital.
The MSF facility in Amman currently hosts 30 Palestinian children from Gaza with critical injuries, along with their companions.
The WHO has evacuated more than 7,500 Palestinians, including 5,200 children, for treatment in Egypt, Jordan, the UAE, Qatar, Turkiye, and European countries. (AFP/File)
Cappai said the comprehensive long-term treatment programs, which include orthopedic and reconstructive surgery, physiotherapy, occupational therapy, and mental health services, last more than four months.
“The injuries we see often require multiple surgeries and a long road to recovery,” he said. “We also deal with post-surgery bone infections, which need close monitoring and prolonged courses of antibiotics.”
Rehabilitative and psychological care, which makes up 80 percent of the treatment program, is designed to help children and adolescents rebuild their sense of self-worth by providing adaptive tools that ease their daily life and support their reintegration into society.
“The key is to help young people live with their new condition as productive members of society who can get jobs, drive, and earn money,” said Cappai. “Building mental resilience also accelerates physical progress.”
A 3D printing lab at the facility designs tailored medical devices, from upper-limb prosthetics to transparent facial orthoses for burn patients, which help skin heal through pressure therapy.
Psychotherapy sessions address pain management and help those who have suffered life-changing injuries cope with painful memories and trauma. These services extend to the children’s companions, many of whom suffer from mental trauma and chronic illnesses.
Each patient is usually allowed one companion, but exceptions are made for families with young children, allowing mothers to bring them along.
“We cannot let a mother leave her babies behind, so they come with their wounded siblings to receive treatment,” said Cappai.
Young companions are kept engaged through play therapy, music, art classes, and schooling for those out of the classroom. A new hospital space provides a safe play area, while vocational training in skincare, barbering, and silver crafting is offered in collaboration with local agencies.
Ghada Al-Hams, a mother of six, said she could not leave her children Amr, 11, and Malak, 10, when she was contacted to accompany her 16-year-old son, Ammar, for treatment in Jordan, but she was forced to leave her three other children in Gaza — a decision that still haunts her.
“I left them with no food or water,” Al-Hams told Arab News at the Mouwasat Hospital in Amman. “To be offered the best food while my kids starve is a tragedy for me.” Her son, desperate to get flour for his siblings, was injured twice while seeking aid.
The small number evacuated compared to the scale of need reflects the long, complex process. (AFP/File)
“When I heard about his injury, I requested to go back to Gaza, but my wounded son here needs a companion,” she said.
Al-Hams said Ammar was injured in July 2024 when an artillery shell landed between him and his father as they walked to their old home in Muraj, north of Rafah, having been displaced to Khan Yunis. The blast killed his father and left Ammar’s right arm dangling by a thread.
“He tried to carry his father to the nearest hospital but couldn’t,” said Al-Hams. “His father told him to leave him behind and go. His last words were, ‘Don’t look at your arm. Take care of your mother and siblings.’ And then he was gone.”
Despite their limited medical supplies, Al-Hams said medics in Gaza were able to save Ammar’s arm from amputation. But after months without proper care, his right palm was left paralyzed, with one nerve severed and two others damaged.
“Sleeping in an unsanitary tent left him in pain and unable to rest, which worsened his condition,” said Al-Hams.
MSF surgeons in Gaza operated to reconnect the severed nerve, but ongoing treatment was disrupted when Nasser Hospital in Khan Yunis was bombed and MSF staff were forced to withdraw.
Ammar was referred abroad in March and evacuated on July 1 in a challenging journey along bombed-out streets, past shell-damaged ambulances, and through multiple security checks to reach the Israeli-controlled Kerem Shalom border crossing.
The bodies of three children killed by an Israeli strike are carried for burial in Khan Younis, Gaza Strip. (AP/File)
MSF doctors at Jordan’s Mouwasat Hospital said Ammar needs at least three months of physiotherapy and occupational therapy. If unresponsive to treatment, he will require a tendon transfer.
“Ammar was speechless for three months after watching his father die,” said Al-Hams. “He was always silent and zoned out. It took him time to start interacting again.”
Meanwhile, her accompanying children are receiving schooling and psychotherapy sessions, slowly regaining their energy and confidence — though the trauma still lingers.
After two years out of school, they now have the strength to play and even compete for the highest grades in the hospital’s classes. They feel safe at last, though the sound of airplanes still makes them flinch.
“Every day in Gaza is a struggle for survival,” said Al-Hams. “My children would spend four hours in line for water, then another for flour. If we managed to get food that day, we never knew when we’d find any again.
Hamas on Monday informed mediators that it accepted the ceasefire-hostage release deal proposal that was submitted to the group a day earlier, which sources said involves a 60-day pause and the release of 10 living captives, as mediators scramble to find an agreement before Israel launches its planned mission to conquer Gaza City.
“The Hamas movement and the Palestinian factions have conveyed their approval on the proposal presented yesterday by the Egyptian and Qatari mediators,” the terror group said in a statement.
After the agreement was reported, an Israeli official confirmed to The Times of Israel that Jerusalem had received Hamas’s latest proposal, while Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu seemingly dismissed the Hamas response and signaled that Israel was moving forward with its plan to take over the Palestinian enclave’s largest city and transfer its population to the southern Strip. “We can see clearly that Hamas is under immense pressure,” Netanyahu said.
An Israeli official later said that Jerusalem’s commitment to a comprehensive deal remains unchanged. “Israel’s position has not changed — [regarding both] the release of all the hostages and adherence to the other conditions defined for ending the war,” the official said in a statement.
Notably, however, Netanyahu did not publicly rule out the partial deal being advanced — a possible indication that Jerusalem is still weighing its options. And several Hebrew media reports said Netanyahu would examine the proposal.
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Revealing details of the proposal that Hamas said it had approved, an Arab diplomat told The Times of Israel that Hamas’s chief negotiator Khalil al-Hayya presented Qatari Prime Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman al-Thani on Sunday night with an updated ceasefire and hostage release proposal that backs down from the vast majority of the demands raised by the terror group that led to the collapse of talks last month.
The talks have taken place in Cairo with Egyptian mediation alongside Qatar and the United States, and with Turkey involved in brokering their resumption last week.
The proposal agreed to on Monday by Hamas would see the release of 10 living hostages in exchange for 150 Palestinian security prisoners during a 60-day truce, the diplomat said, adding that the deal will also see the release of bodies of slain hostages.
Palestinians carry humanitarian aid that they gathered after an airdrop, as they walk in the al-Mawasi area, in the southern Gaza Strip on August 18, 2025. (AFP)
A source in Palestinian Islamic Jihad, a terror group fighting alongside Hamas in Gaza, revealed similar details about the proposal and added that after the release of the first 10 hostages, “the remaining captives would be released in a second phase, with immediate negotiations to follow for a broader deal” for a permanent end to “the war and aggression” with international guarantees.
The source added that “all factions are supportive of what was presented” by the Egyptian and Qatari mediators, referring to the myriad of different Palestinian armed groups that operate in the Strip, largely under Hamas oversight.
The proposal was received by Israel on Monday evening, but Jerusalem has insisted that it is no longer interested in partial deals, saying that it will only agree to end the war if Hamas releases all of the hostages at once, among other conditions.
The Arab mediators believe that the Israeli demands do not give them anything to work with, and instead have been working to first secure a partial deal, albeit one they are framing as a “pathway to a comprehensive agreement.”
Similar to the proposal crafted by US special envoy Steve Witkoff earlier this year, the latest proposal envisions negotiations on the terms of a permanent ceasefire commencing at the start of the 60-day truce, with the mediators aiming to secure an agreement on those details by the end of the two-month temporary ceasefire, the Arab diplomat says.
A diplomatic source quoted by Axios said the deal Hamas accepted is “98% similar” to the Witkoff proposal, which Hamas rejected last month.
A Channel 12 report said Hamas had reduced the number of security prisoners it wants freed, and eased its stance on the buffer zone that Israel would retain along the Gaza border. Israel is insisting on a strip between one and 1.2 kilometers wide, the report said. Hamas, which previously demanded a maximum of 800 meters, is now willing to accept between 800 meters and one kilometer, it added.
Families of hostages held in the Gaza Strip and supporters attend a rally calling for the release of hostages held in Gaza, at Hostages Square in Tel Aviv, August 17, 2025. (Avshalom Sassoni/Flash90)
PM says Hamas under ‘immense pressure’
As the reports of Hamas’s response emerged, Netanyahu appeared largely dismissive, saying the terror group is under “immense pressure,” as Israel advances its plans to take over Gaza City.
Netanyahu said he had met earlier Monday with the IDF’s top brass to discuss Israel’s Gaza City takeover “and the completion of our missions.”
“Like you, I hear the reports in the media, and from them, you can get the impression of one thing: that Hamas is under immense pressure,” the premier said, speaking to senior officers at the IDF’s Gaza Division headquarters near the Gaza border community of Re’im, in a video issued by his office.
As talks in Cairo on a partial deal between Arab mediators and Hamas have advanced over the past several days, Netanyahu has insisted that he is no longer interested in such proposals and will only agree to end the war if Hamas releases all of the hostages in one go, disarms, allows for the demilitarization of Gaza, grants Israel overall security control of the Strip, and hands over control to a body other than the Palestinian Authority.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu speaks at a Newsmax event in Jerusalem, on August 13, 2025. (Shalev Shalom/POOL)
But the Arab mediators are hoping that the rhetoric out of Jerusalem is just a pressure tactic and that Netanyahu will come around if Hamas agrees to walk back the demands it made last month that led to the collapse of talks on a partial deal.
Hebrew media reported Sunday that despite saying a day earlier that he would only consider “comprehensive” hostage deals that return all 50 captives, Netanyahu is in fact prepared to consider a partial ceasefire and hostage-release agreement with Hamas.
Despite that, an unnamed Israeli official on Monday stressed to reporters that “Israel’s position has not changed — [regarding both] the release of all the hostages and adherence to the other conditions defined for ending the war.”
Tents housing displaced Palestinians in Gaza City, on August 18, 2025. (Omar AL-QATTAA / AFP)
Katz: Hamas only negotiating out of ‘fear’
Similarly dismissive, Defense Minister Israel Katz said Monday that Hamas only returned to the negotiating table “because of its fear that we seriously intend to conquer Gaza City.”
Katz, speaking to the senior IDF officers during his visit to the Gaza Division with Netanyahu and IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir, said capturing Gaza City “will lead to the defeat of Hamas.”
“The focus on Gaza City derives from it being a military, governmental and symbolic center of gravity,” Katz added. “The leadership is there, and there remain the central infrastructures of the military wing. Hamas also knows that this is now the core of its rule.”
Therefore, Katz said, “We see that for the first time, after weeks in which Hamas was not at all willing to discuss any deal for the release of hostages, even though Turkey had already approached it and Qatar had approached it, suddenly it is on the table.”
“The reason is clear: only [Hamas’s] fear that we seriously intend to conquer Gaza [City] makes it willing to discuss,” Katz added.
IDF troops operate in the Gaza Strip, in an image published on August 18, 2025. (Israel Defense Forces)
At the same conference of top military brass attended by Netanyahu and Katz, Zamir said Israel is at a “turning point in the war” and ahead of “the next stage” of an offensive against Hamas.
“We are in the midst of a multi-front, prolonged, and unprecedented campaign. We are at a turning point in the war, ahead of moving to the next stage of Operation Gideon’s Chariots, which focuses on deepening the blow against Hamas in Gaza City,” Zamir said.
“We are preparing and approving plans. You must prepare all frameworks for the continuation of operational developments,” Zamir said.
IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir speaks to officers at the Gaza Division headquarters near Re’im, August 18, 2025. (Israel Defense Forces)
Trump: Hostages will only be freed ‘when Hamas is destroyed’
The reports of Hamas’s agreement came hours after US President Donald Trump declared in a social media post that the hostages held in Gaza will only be freed “when Hamas is confronted and destroyed,” apparently backing Israel’s planned assault on Gaza City.
“We will only see the return of the remaining hostages when Hamas is confronted and destroyed!!!” the president wrote. “The sooner this takes place, the better the chances of success will be.”
“Remember, I was the one who negotiated and got hundreds of hostages freed and released into Israel (and America!),” he said, exaggerating the number of people freed in the January-March ceasefire deal, when Hamas released 30 hostages — 20 Israeli civilians, five soldiers, and five Thai nationals — and the bodies of eight slain Israeli captives.
One additional hostage, a dual American-Israeli citizen, was released by the terror group in May as a “gesture” to the United States.
Demonstrators gather during a protest demanding the immediate release of hostages held by Hamas and calling for the Israeli government to reverse its decision to take over Gaza City and other areas in the Gaza Strip, in Tel Aviv, August 17, 2025. (AP Photo/ Ohad Zwigenberg)
The Arab diplomat who spoke with The Times of Israel on Monday speculated that the Truth Social post was a “pressure tactic” aimed at bringing Hamas to accept the terms of Witkoff’s original hostage deal proposal, and added that the proposal submitted by Hamas is extremely similar to the one proposed by Witkoff.
Terror groups in the Gaza Strip are holding 50 hostages, including 49 of the 251 abducted in Hamas’s October 7 onslaught and the body of an IDF soldier killed in 2014. Twenty of the hostages are believed by Israel to be alive, with 28 declared dead by Israeli authorities and “grave concerns” for the well-being of two others.
Dubai police said on Monday they caught three thieves just hours after they stole a precious pink diamond worth $25 million.
“The Dubai Police General Command has foiled the theft of a very rare pink diamond, valued at $25 million,” the police said in a statement shared by the United Arab Emirates’ official news agency WAM.
A diamond trader who had brought the jewel from Europe was lured to a villa by a crime gang under the pretence of a viewing by a potential wealthy client, police said.
But the gem was stolen when the diamond dealer arrived for the bogus inspection, the statement added.
Within eight hours three people from an unspecified Asian country were arrested “thanks to the efforts of specialised and field teams, and by using the latest artificial intelligence technologies,” police said.
Video footage shared by the Dubai Media Office showed the three men with their faces blurred after their arrest as well as CCTV footage of the gang.
Dubai is an important hub for diamond trading. Tightly controlled and policed, the UAE prides itself on its security and stability.
More deaths in Gaza amid ongoing hostilities, extreme hunger
OCHA warns that the situation in the Gaza Strip is beyond catastrophic. Amid ongoing hostilities and extreme hunger, more deaths are recorded every day.
In a social media post, the World Food Programme (WFP) said that its teams are doing everything they can to deliver food to people. However, supplies remain far below needs – less than half of WFP’s daily target. The agency said that organized distributions, WFP-supported hot meals and bakeries depend on far more aid entering Gaza.
Partners report that last week, in the north and south of Gaza, more than 80 community kitchens produced some 380,000 meals each day. Back in April, the daily tally was more than a million meals. Communities rely on hot meals once a day from these kitchens – but the amount they’re able to cook remains insufficient to feed Gaza’s starving population.
Hunger-related deaths continue to be reported, including among children. The Ministry of Health said that five people, including two children, died over the past 24 hours due to malnutrition and starvation.
To prevent such deaths, humanitarians must be able to deliver aid at scale – safely and consistently – through all available crossings and routes to reach the population of 2.1 million people, half of whom are children.
Yesterday, eight out of 12 missions requiring coordination with Israeli authorities were facilitated without impediments. They included the transfer of nutritional supplies and fuel to the north. One mission to replace a water pipeline in Deir al Balah was denied, and three others were impeded but eventually fully accomplished – these included the collection of food aid from Zikim and Kerem Shalom crossings.
Movement restrictions, including holding points and long waiting times inside the Strip, hinder the delivery of aid to people in desperate need.
The UN has seen the Israeli authorities’ announcement to lift the ban on shelter supplies, which have not been allowed to enter Gaza in five months. This is a welcome development, as the need for shelter and household items has increased. Partners estimate that at least 1.35 million people need emergency shelter and some 1.4 million need essential household items. This represents an increase of about 4 and 8 per cent, respectively, compared with June.
However, it is concerning that the announcement by the Israeli authorities comes in connection with the looming expansion of military operations in Gaza city. This would displace thousands of people, once again, into an overcrowded area in the south of the Strip, which is almost devoid of basic infrastructure and services, including water, food and medical services.
OCHA notes that since early March, when the Israeli shelter ban came into force, more than 780,000 new displacements have taken place. Existing shelters have deteriorated or been left behind amid repeated displacement orders.
The UN reiterates that it will not participate in any forced displacement of the population. The UN and its partners reiterate their commitment to serve people wherever they are. All civilians must be protected, whether they choose to stay or move. Those who decide to move must have their essential needs met, and they must be able to voluntarily return when the situation allows.
Unimpeded humanitarian access is needed across all of Gaza, including community-based distributions and supplies entering at scale through all possible crossings and land routes. All available supplies must be let into Gaza, including through the northern crossings.
Meanwhile in the West Bank, OCHA reports that attacks, harassment and intimidation by Israeli settlers against Palestinians continued – including a settler attack on Sunday that led to the damage of olive trees, animal shelters and other structures in two villages in Ramallah governorate.
OCHA stresses that violence by Israeli settlers undermines Palestinians’ safety and livelihoods – and calls once again for the protection of Palestinians in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem.
#Sudan
Scores reported killed, injured in Abu Shouk attack
OCHA is alarmed by reports of yet another deadly attack on the famine-stricken Abu Shouk camp, on the outskirts of El Fasher, the besieged capital of Sudan’s North Darfur State.
Local sources report that the Rapid Support Forces attacked the displacement site, which is hosting tens of thousands of people. More than 30 civilians were reportedly killed and over 100 people injured, according to humanitarian partners on the ground and media reports.
This is the second deadly assault in just a week to target the Abu Shouk camp, after an attack one week ago reportedly killed 40 civilians. Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs, Tom Fletcher, said last week that he was appalled to hear about the violence at Abu Shouk, stressing that international humanitarian law is clear: civilians must be protected, and access must be granted.
Across North Darfur, humanitarian needs continue to rise, including in Tawila, where more than 300,000 people have sought safety since April. About 98 per cent of displaced households there are unable to meet their basic needs, according to a rapid assessment by the Norwegian Refugee Council.
The UN and its partners are providing vital aid whenever and wherever possible, despite insecurity and access constraints. OCHA continues to call for safe and unhindered humanitarian access across Sudan and urges all parties to uphold their obligations under international humanitarian law.
#Ukraine
Kharkiv, Zaporizhzhia hard hit by weekend attacks
OCHA reports that attacks over the weekend killed and injured civilians across Ukraine. According to authorities, dozens of civilians – including three children – were killed and nearly 100 injured. Homes and other civilian infrastructure were also damaged.
Authorities report that the cities of Kharkiv and Zaporizhzhia sustained most of the casualties and damage. Civilian deaths, injuries, and destruction of homes and infrastructure – including educational facilities and marketplaces – were also reported in the regions of Donetsk, Kherson, Sumy and Odesa.
Humanitarian partners, supported by UN agencies, provided immediate assistance, including psychosocial support, hot meals and drinks, and emergency shelter kits.
OCHA says that the operating environment for humanitarian organizations continues to deteriorate. In the first half of 2025, at least four aid workers were killed and more than 30 injured, with over 100 security incidents were reported in Ukraine. Incidents involving harm to personnel, assets and facilities rose from 61 in 2024 to 103 in 2025, reflecting heightened risks, particularly near the front line, due to increased short-range drone attacks.
Meanwhile, humanitarians continue to support* people fleeing hostilities in the Donetsk and Dnipro regions as authorities expand mandatory evacuations for families with children. Assistance includes transport – also for bedridden people and people with disabilities – and multi-sector support at transit sites.
Between 15 and 17 August alone, about 3,700 people, including 370 children, were evacuated from front-line areas of the Donetsk region, according to authorities. Humanitarian partners report that needs remain high at the transit site of Pavlohrad due to the large influx of evacuees, particularly for shelter for older people and those with disabilities.
*Donations made to UN Crisis Relief help UN agencies and humanitarian NGOs reach people in Ukraine with urgent support.
Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky dey currently meet wit US President Donald Trump for White House.
Some European leaders also dey for di White House wia di meeting dey happun.
Na three days ago, Trump bin personally greet di Russian leader Putin as e step off im plane to red carpet, while fighter jets dey move ova im head.
Zelensky arrival for Washington dey lowkey but e no mind as di Ukrainian president dey more concerned about how di war for Ukraine go end.
Wia dis foto come from, Muhammed Selim Korkutata/Anadolu via Getty Images
How di meeting dey go?
Dis meeting wit Trump fit likely be one of di most important for Zelensky political career.
Wen one reporter ask Trump if consequence go dey if ceasefire no dey, Trump say: “I no tink you need a ceasefire.”
Di US president say “e fit dey good to get” but e add say e fit no dey necessary for peace.
E also tok say “strategically”, one kontri or di oda fit no want ceasefire.
Bifor di meting, di President Trump bin say Zelensky fit end di war between Russia and Ukraine “if im want to” but im give some conditions.
Meanwhile, di conditions na say Ukraine no go join Nato as part of a peace deal and Ukraine no go fit collect Crimea peninsula back from Russia.
Di President of di European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, also dey for White House. She bin step out of her car wia di chief of protocol Monica Crowley greet her and say e dey “good to see you again”.
British Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer bin also arrive wit smiles as e comot im vehicle and enta di White House.
President of Finland Alexander Stubb also pull up to di White House.
Nato chief Mark Rutte also dey White House – na im be di first of di European leaders wey arrive.
Meanwhile, Italy prime minister Giorgia Meloni, also dey for Washington today for di White House summit.
Italy prime minister tok for native Italian language say she dey happy say di proposal for Nato-like security guarantee dey part of today tok.
“We dey on di side of Ukraine, we support di efforts of di president of di United States,” she tell reporters.
Who Trump and Zelensky bring along to di White House meeting?
Di White House bin confam say five US officials go dey present for di room wit Donald Trump wen Volodymyr Zelensky meet di US president for di Oval Office today.
Dem be Vice President JD Vance, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles, special envoy Steve Witkoff, and special envoy Keith Kellogg.
Zelensky go also dey accompanied by Andriy Yermak, im top chief of staff and Rustem Umerov, former defence minister and now head of di National Security and Defence Council of Ukraine.
